Watson steps away from the accomplished realism of Tom Thumb (1993) and Joanne Ryder’s The Waterfall’s Gift (2001) for a more broadly brushed expressionism in this exuberant, if scantly plotted, solo debut. A rabbit bounds out of a top hat lying on the ground, turns back to pull out a string of tied scarves and other tricks, then wishes for a friend. Presto! A second hat appears, from which a second rabbit bounds. As a writer, Watson makes a talented visual artist; his terse text flattens, rather than heightens, the feeling (“Oh, the fun they had and the magic they shared.” Clunk) and proves superfluous anyway, as the pictures tell the tale perfectly well. Readers may agree intellectually with the concluding thought, that “the best magic of all was having a friend,” but from the front cover’s shower of glitter to the rear view of Rabbit, white fur mystically lit, contemplating the stars, the art conveys more a sense of private wonder than of shared bonhomie. A strong showcase for Watson’s technical versatility, though. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-590-47964-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
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